[StBernard] The Storms Impact - Point of View by Ron Chapman

[Westley Annis]

Point of View

It is hard to imagine, but St. Bernard Parish has endured the worst disaster
in American History.  One generally does not think in those terms, but in
this case we must.  We often see videotape of such calamities, but no one
ever believed it would happen here. Last Christmas we watched in horror as
events unfolded after the tsunami, this Christmas we share the terror. 

No other community has been so completely destroyed as ours.   A trip "down
the road" to Delacroix, Hopedale, or Shell beach will confirm the extent and
scope of the horrors.   Some speak of the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.
They should visit our fishing communities if they desire to view real
damage.  

Hurricane Katrina was not only powerful; it was immense.  Hurricane winds
(74 mph) were clocked as far East as Pensacola Florida and as far West as
Laplace, Louisiana.  They eye was nearly as large as the whole of Hurricane
Camille in 1969.

The University of Southern Mississippi, where my daughter attends, was
struck by category #3 winds and suffered extensive roof and tree damage.
The college is over 100 miles inland.   The trees along Highway 59 look like
a giant weed-eater was passed through them.   

Living in Mississippi, we are exposed through the news media to the
devastation visited upon the Gulf Coast.  Where the tidal surge struck.there
is nothing left but slabs and steps.  For the first time ever, the surge
traveled nearly 3 miles inland! 

Whole communities have been uprooted.  It is estimated that nearly 1 million
people suddenly became homeless as a result of this storm.  Picayune,
Mississippi's population increased from around 17,000 to 43,000.  Baton
Rouge's population has doubled.  Communities on the north shore of Lake
Pontchartrain have experienced much the same population explosion and
associated problems. 

Katrina was amazing!!! Nothing like this has ever happened in America
before.  

No community, no state, not even the federal government can wrap its brain
or its pocketbook around the scale of this disaster.  Everyone was totally
unprepared for something of this magnitude.   

That is also why recovery is taking so long.  Hundreds of thousands of
families are still displaced, there weren't enough trailers in stock to
accommodate the need. More have to be built.  So many power lines and phone
lines are down.the respective companies lack the physical and human
resources to put the poles back up and have power restored as quickly as in
other times.  Entergy has declared bankruptcy.   The weight of the water was
such in St. Bernard that the land actually sank.that is why it took so much
effort on the part of Parish Government to re-establish water and sewerage
service and why natural gas will not be available for many months in some
areas. The underground pipes broke!

The impact is still being felt.  Many people might want to return and mend
their lives, but the communities they wish to return to lack basic services.
In addition, many have lost their jobs, or are working for companies that
are seriously considering re-locating.  Up to now these businesses had been
tied to this region by a variety of circumstances.  Katrina broke those ties
and these businesses cannot afford another such upheaval.  Result:  many
industries will look to locate elsewhere and their employees will have hard
decisions to make.

All of this impacts the time it takes for a community to recover.  Not only
is everything destroyed, but the entire area must be cleaned up while
effective and reasonable plans for the future are developed. 

Taking all of this into consideration, it is best if everyone is patient.
There is no rush to get things done.  As one evacuee told me: "I am not in a
hurry to make any decisions, because I cannot afford to make the wrong one."


This is also a time to be patient with one another.  We are all under a lot
of stress.  Families are living in close confinement with little privacy.  A
significant number of the elderly, who survived the storm, have succumbed
during the aftermath.  Many friends will not be returning home.  Some
businesses we became dependent upon will not reopen.  This is not the time
to be judgmental.  We must support one another in the decisions we make
about our lives and we must be patient with one another throughout this long
process.

Recovery will take years.  We must learn to accept that.   It will require
commitment and unselfish dedication on all parts.  Hopefully, we will not
find people profiteering from the misery of others.  That would be most
unfortunate and would break the trust that is needed to bind our community
together.

St. Bernard will be back.   It will be a different St. Bernard, but it will
be St. Bernard. 



P.S.  The Parish President seems to find great humor in "goosing" people
with his cane.  This is crude and offensive behavior that reflects
negatively upon the citizens of St. Bernard.  As Parish President he should
always act in a respectful manner.  He represents all of us and should
behave accordingly.